Majority ‘marking New Year at home’

Nearly two-thirds of people are planning to celebrate the New Year in the comfort of their own home, research suggests.

Some 62% of adults surveyed for Post Office Home Insurance expect to have a night in tonight, equating to 31 million people staying indoors as the clock chimes midnight across the UK.

The survey of more than 2,000 people found that 14% will be at home alone on the last night of 2014.

One in four (25%) people surveyed will have a night in with their partner, 23% will be staying with family and 6% will be hosting a dinner or a party with friends.

The number of people estimated to be seeing in the New Year from their own sofa is about 1.5 million higher than when similar research was carried out a year ago.

Despite signs of growing consumer confidence as the economy recovers, the research also suggests that revellers will be keeping a tighter hold on their purse strings while seeing in 2015.

The average sum that people estimate they will spend is £47, including food, drink, clothing and, for those venturing out, travel costs. This total is £3 less than the typical estimate given last year.

There were wide variations found across the country in terms of the typical amounts people plan to splash out, ranging from £81 in London to £30 in the East Midlands.

In Scotland, people typically plan to spend more than the UK average, at £54. In Northern Ireland and Wales, people typically plan to spend less than the UK average, at £40 and £39 respectively.

A thrifty one in seven (13%) people across the survey said they will not spend anything at all while celebrating.

The biggest spenders were people aged between 20 and 29 years old, who plan to spend £62 typically.

Here is the average predicted cost of celebrating New Year’s Eve across the UK according to Post Office Home Insurance: